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PRESERVING YOUR HARVEST
Try pickling the bounty of your garden.
You worked hard to plan, plot, plant, and weed—your vegetable garden. But come harvest time there’s often more produce than you can eat before it turns. It’s easy to preserve your bounty with our simple recipes for pickling.
PRESERVING MADE EASY
You can pickle all manner of vegetables and fruits. Just slice and soak them in a seasoned brine, sour or sweet. Serve the pickles as part of a cheese or relish platter, on sandwiches, or as a simple side. The tomatoes and tarragon beans are excellent in a Bloody Mary.
Start with excellent-quality produce, and wash it well. It’s also a good idea to run your jars or other containers through the dishwasher before you begin. Here are some of my favorite pickling recipes. Enjoy!
Sour Pickles
Makes: 2 pints
INGREDIENTS
- 1½ cups distilled white vinegar or apple-cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
- 3 whole allspice berries
- 2 dried bay leaves (omit with tarragon beans)
- Coarse salt
- Vegetables or fruit (variations below)
Directions
Combine vinegar, 3/4 cup water (1/2 cup for cucumbers), sugar, spices, and 2 tablespoons salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stir until sugar is dissolved. Fill containers with veggies or fruit. Add boiling brine to cover completely. Let cool completely. Cover, label, and refrigerate at least 1 week before serving, or up to 3 months.
Variations
Cherry Tomatoes: 4 cups small cherry or grape tomatoes, plus 2 small sprigs rosemary
Chile Cauliflower: 4 cups small cauliflower florets, plus 4 sprigs thyme and 2 small fresh chiles
Dill Beets: 12 ounces baby beets, peeled and cut into ½-inch wedges, plus 8 sprigs dill and 4 cloves garlic; add beets to brine before boiling
Dill Cucumbers: 1 pound Kirby cucumbers, trimmed and cut into ½-inch wedges, plus 8 sprigs dill and 4 cloves garlic, peeled
Green Tomatoes: 4 small green tomatoes (1 pound), cut into ¼-inch slices, plus 6 thin slices white onion
Onions and Peppers: 2 small red onions, 8 baby bell peppers, and 1 small jalapeño, all cut into rings
Radishes: 32 very small radishes, trimmed, halved
Spicy Carrots: 10 ounces baby carrots, peeled and cut into ⅛-inch slices, plus 2 thin slices habañero pepper
Tarragon Beans: 12 ounces green or wax beans, plus 2 sprigs tarragon
Sweet Pickles
Makes: 2 pints
INGREDIENTS
- 1½ cups distilled white vinegar or apple-cider vinegar
- 1¼ cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- ¼ teaspoon celery seeds
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- Coarse salt
- Vegetables or fruit (variations below)
Directions
Combine vinegar, sugar, spices, and 2 tablespoons salt in a saucepan. Boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Fill containers tightly with vegetables or fruit. Add boiling brine to cover. Let cool. Cover, label, and refrigerate 1 week before serving, or up to 3 months.
Variations
Cucumber Chips: 16 ounces Kirby cucumbers, trimmed and cut into 1-inch rounds, and ½ small white onion, cut into ¼-inch wedges
Peaches: 6 small peaches, like freestone, peeled, halved, and pitted; replace spices with 2 small, dried bay leaves, 1 clove, ¼ teaspoon whole peppercorns, and ½ cinnamon stick
Shaved Golden Beets: 12 ounces peeled and very thinly sliced golden beets (about 16)
More in the September Garden
Planting Bulbs For Spring Blooms
Martha’s step by step guide makes it easy to plant spring blooming bulbs this fall.
Dividing Perennials
Fall is the perfect time to divide your perennials. Martha shows you how.
Bringing Houseplants Indoors
How to care for house plants that have spent the season outside, before you bring them back inside.
Extend The Tomato Season
From delicious, candied tomatoes to crushed tomato sauce for freezing – check out Martha’s recipes for preserving your tomato harvest!